Matrix Authorization StrategyApplication · Jenkins
CVE-2026-42521
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedJenkins Matrix Authorization Strategy Plugin 2.0-beta-1 through 3.2.9 (both inclusive) invokes parameterless constructors of classes specified in configuration when deserializing inheritance strategies, without restricting the classes that can be instantiated, allowing attackers with Item/Configure permission to instantiate arbitrary types, which may lead to information disclosure or other impacts depending on the classes available on the classpath.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceThe Jenkins Matrix Authorization Strategy Plugin versions 2.0-beta-1 through 3.2.9 has a deserialization vulnerability in its inheritance strategy handling. The plugin invokes parameterless constructors of user-specified classes during deserialization without restricting which classes can be instantiated, allowing attackers with Item/Configure permission to instantiate arbitrary classes from the classpath.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
Matrix Authorization StrategyApplication
>= 2.1, < 3.2.10= 2.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Matrix Authorization Strategy Plugin is installedNavigate to Manage Jenkins > Manage Plugins > Installed tab and locate 'Matrix Authorization Strategy Plugin' in the list. Note the installed version displayed in the Version column.Affected if The plugin version is 2.0 or between 2.1 and 3.2.9 inclusive (any version from 2.0 through 3.2.9).
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Confirm the affected version rangeCompare the installed version you found against the affected ranges: version 2.0, or any version from 2.1 up to and including 3.2.9.Affected if Your installed version falls within 2.0 or >= 2.1 and < 3.2.10.
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Check if inheritance strategy is configuredNavigate to Manage Jenkins > Global Security and locate the Authorization section. Determine whether Matrix Authorization Strategy is selected as the authorization type, and whether any inheritance-based permission strategies are configured.Affected if Matrix Authorization Strategy is enabled as the authorization method with inheritance configuration present.
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Identify users with Item/Configure permissionIn the Matrix Authorization Strategy configuration (accessed via Global Security), review the permission matrix and identify any users or groups granted the 'Item/Configure' permission.Affected if Any user or group has the Item/Configure permission granted in the authorization matrix.
You are affected if the Matrix Authorization Strategy Plugin is installed at version 2.0 through 3.2.9, Matrix authorization is enabled, and any user possesses Item/Configure permission.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped3.2.10
Upgrade to Matrix Authorization Strategy Plugin version 3.2.10 or later which implements class restrictions during deserialization.
3.2.10
- Log in to Jenkins as an administrator with Overall/Administer permission
- Navigate to 'Manage Jenkins' > 'Manage Plugins'
- Go to the 'Updates' tab to check for available plugin updates
- Locate 'Matrix Authorization Strategy' plugin in the list
- Select the checkbox next to the plugin and click 'Download now and install after restart'
- Alternatively, navigate to the 'Available' tab, search for 'Matrix Authorization Strategy', select it, and click 'Install'
- Wait for the plugin to download and install
- Restart Jenkins to complete the installation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Matrix Authorization Strategy
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,152.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-42521 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-42521 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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